Water cooler reservoir



1961 T. R. VARNELL 2,998,162

WATER COOLER RESERVOIR Filed June 19, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 3mm Y I k il q 75 0111515 12? fiynzzz l/lm 75 k 7 f Aug. 29, 1961 T. R. VARNELL2,993,152

WATER COOLER RESERVOIR 3 Sheets-Sheet? Filed Jxine 19, 1959 1961 T. R.VARNELL 2,998,162

WATER COOLER RESERVOIR Filed June 19, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 gwvmbo a 6/lgmifas a Veg/HELL 2,938,162 WATER COOLER RESERVOIR Thomas RoscoeVarnell, 422 Bible St. NE, Cleveland, Tenn, assignor of twenty-fivepercent to Robert H. Langford and Blanche M. Langford, Grlando, Fla.Filed June 19, 1959, Ser. No. 821,456 4 Claims. (Cl. 22254) The presentinvention relates to a water cooler and particularly to a water coolerfor use in a refrigerator.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a reservoir type watercooler from which cooled water may be dispensed as desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a water cooler of theclass described above having dual compartments arranged to maintainwarmer water against dispensing until it has been cooled.

A further object of the invention is to provide a water cooler having apair of superposed compartments with automatic means for permitting theflow of water which has been cooled in the upper compartment into thelower compartment to replace cooled water dispensed therefrom.

A still further object of the invention is to'provide a two compartmentwater cooling device of the class described above in which the flow ofwater from the upper compartment to the lower compartment is controlledby the use of water from the lower compartment.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the followingspecification when considered in light of the attached drawings, inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-section taken along the line 22of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross-section taken along. the line 33 ofFIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section taken along the line 44of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken along theline 5-5 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section taken along the line 66of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken along theline 7-7 of FIGURE 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a removable cover adapted to be usedwith the lower compartment.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like referencecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, thereference numeral 10 indicates generally a water cooler constructed inaccordance with the invention.

The water cooler 10 includes a lower compartment, generally indicated at11, and an upper compartment, generally indicated at 12. The lowercompartment 11 has a spaced apart pair of parallel side walls 13, 14, arear wall 15 integrally connecting the side walls 13, 14 and a frontwall 16 integrally connected to the forward edge of the side wall 14terminating in an upright edge 17 spaced from the forward edge of theside wall 14.

A bottom wall 18 extends between the side walls 13, 14 and engages therear wall 15. The bottom wall 18 slopes downwardly and forwardly and issupported on a plurality of bars 19 secured to the side walls 13, 14 andthe rear wall 15. The bottom wall 18 terminates in a forward edge 20spaced from and parallel to the front wall 16, A relatively short wall21 is arranged parallel to Patented Aug. 29, 1961 the side walls 13, 14,and is joined to the edge 17 of the front wall 16 extending rearwardlytherefrom.

A second relatively short wall 22 extends parallel to the front wall 16and the rear wall 15 and connects the rear edge of the short wall 21with the side wall 13.

A generally horizontal transverse wall 23 extends rearwardly from thefront wall 16 to a point overlying the forward edge 20 of the bottomwall 18 and connects the side wall 14 to the relatively short wall 21.An upright wall 24 is secured to the forward edge 20 of the bottom wall18 and extends upwardly connecting with the rear edge of the horizontalwall 23. The upright wall 24 terminates at a point 25 spaced from andparallel to the side wall 14. The bottom wall 18 extends forwardly ofthe upright wall 24 between the edge 25 of the wall 24 and the side wall14, and connects with the front wall 16. An upright partition 26arranged parallel to the side walls 13, 14 connects the edge 25 of thewall 24 with the front wall 16 and connects the horizontal wall 23 withthe bottom wall 18.

A pair of transversely extending support bars 27 are secured to thelower edges of the side walls 13, 14 to support the cooler 18/ on theshelf of a refrigerator. The forward edge 20 of the bottom wall 18 issupported on a bar 28 secured to the upright wall 24, as can be seen inFIGURE 2.

A pair of spaced apart parallel baffle partitions 29, 30 are secured inupstanding relation on the bottom wall 18 and have their opposite sideedges secured to the side walls 13, 14. The bafile partitions 29, 30 areeach provided with a pair of ports 31 opening through the outer lowercorners thereof and a central recess 32 formed in the upper edgethereof. The bafiles 29, 30 extend nearly to the top of the lowercompartment 11 and have the dual function of strengthening the lowercompartment 11 as well as assisting in preventing the slooshing of waterwhen the lower compartment 11 is carried without the upper compartment12 being positioned thereon.

A spout, generally indicated at 33, is of tubular form and has agenerally horizontal section 34 and an outer section '35 integrallyconnected thereto and extending perpendicularly therefrom. Thehorizontal section 34 of the spout 33 is positioned below the horizontalwall 23 and is journalled at its opposite ends in the relatively shortwall 21 and the partition 26. An annular collar 36 is formed on thepartition 26 surrounding the horizontal section 34 of the spout 33 onthe side of the partition 26 adjacent the relatively short wall 21. Acollar 37 is secured to the horizontal section 34 of the spout 33closely adjacent the relatively short wall 21, retaining the spout 33 inposition on the lower compartment 11. A flexible rubber tube 38 has oneend sealed to the collar 36 and the opposite end sealed to the collar 37to permit the horizontal section 34 of the spout 33 to be rotated aboutits horizontal axis without leakage. A coil spring 39 encompasses theflexible rubber tube 38 and has its opposite ends respectively securedto the collar 36 and the collar 37 to normally bias the horizontalsection 34 of the spout 33 in a counter clockwise direction, when viewedin FIG- URE 2.

The spout 33 has a handle 40 rigidly secured to the outer section 35thereof to permit the spout 33 to be rotated to a horizontal positionwhen dispensing liquids therethrough.

A U-shaped block 41 extends between and connects the forward ends of therelatively short wall 21 and the side wall 13 at the lower edge thereofto provide a support limiting the downward swinging movement of thespout 33, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. A generally U-shaped horizontalguide block 42 is spaced intermediate the upper and lower edges of theside wall 13 and extends to the relatively short wall 21 to provide aguide for the spout 33 when in its upper, or folded, position, The guideblock 42 also connects to the wall 22 at the rear end thereof. The sidewall 13 forwardly of the wall 22 and upwardly of the guide block 42 iscut away to permit the handle 40 to fold with the spout 33 and to extendlaterally outwardly beyond the wall 13 to permit it to be readilygrasped when moving the spout 33 to the dispensing position illustratedin FIGURE 1.

The U-shaped guide support 42 is provided with an integral resilientlatch 43 which grasps the spout 33 and restrains it from moving out ofits upright position until pulled by the user. A flat, generallyrectangular cover 44 is provided for the lower compartment 11 for usetherewith when the upper compartment 12 is detached therefrom. The cover44 has one corner recessed at 4-5 corresponding to the recessed cornerof the lower compartment 11. An upstanding flange 46 is secured to theupper edge of the side walls 13, 14, the rear wall 15 and the front wall16 to receive the upper compartment 12 or the cover 44.

The upper compartment 12 includes a pair of spaced apart parallel sidewalls 47, 48 joined by a rear wall 49 and a front wall A generallyrectangular top wall 51 is supported on the side walls 47, 48 and therear wall 49 and is sealed thereto. The top wall 51 terminates in aforward edge 52 arranged in spaced parallel relation to the front wall50. A transversely extending partition 53 is secured to and depends fromthe wall 51 adjacent the forward terminal edge 52 thereof. A forwardlyand downwardly sloping wall 54 has its upper rear edge secured to thepartition 53 and its lower forward edge secured to the upper edge of atransverse partition 55, arranged in spaced parallel relation to thefront wall 50. An inner wall 56 is arranged in parallel relation to thewall 55 and spaced therefrom oppositely of the front wall 50. The innerwall 56 has its upper terminal edge 57 spaced substantially below thesloping wall 54. A U-shaped panel 58 integrally connects the lower endof the wall 56 with the lower end of the front wall 50 and the partition55 has its lower terminal edge 59 spaced above the arcuate panel 58.

A generally rectangular cover 60 is pivotally secured to the forwardedge 52 of the cover 51 by means of a hinge pin 61. A pair of oppositelydisposed segmental plates 62 depend from opposite edge portions of thecover 60 and project into the upper compartment 12 when the cover 61) isin closed position. With the cover 61) in open position, the segmentalplates 62 serve as confining members to irect water into the uppercompartment 12 when filling the same. A transverse b aille panel 63 isformed on the cover 61) extending between the segmental plates 62 toprotect the hinge when filling the upper compartment 12 with water.

A filter bag 64 is positioned between the partition 55 and the frontwall 50 and is supported on a frame 65 between the upper end of thepartition 55 and the front wall 51 The upper compartment 12 has a pairof downwardly and inwardly sloping bottom wall panels 66, 67 havingtheir outer edges secured respectively to the side walls 47, 48substantially above the lower edge thereof. The panels 66, 67 slopedownwardly and inwardly and have their inner edges arranged in spacedapart parallel relation and secured to a pair of spaced apart parallelupright strengthening webs 68, 69. A downwardly and centrally slopingcentral panel 70 is positioned between the webs 68, 69 and is sealedthereto. A pair of inverted U-shaped yokes 71, 72 are secured incentrally positioned parallel relation to the webs 68, 69 in upwardlyextending relation thereto. A valve body 73 is supported in the U-shapedyokes 71, 72 for vertical reciprocation. A valve seat 74 having aresilient washer 75 positioned therein is secured centrally of thecentral panel 70, as can be clearly seen in FIGURE 7. A valve 76 isadjustably secured to the valve body 73 and is adapted to engage theresilient washer 75 in the valve seat 74 to close the passage throughthe central panel 70. A pair of oppositely disposed glass plates 77, 78have their outer ends anchored in recesses 79, 80, respectively, formedin the upper compartment 12 adjacent the rear wall 49 and the inner wall56.

The adjacent inner ends of the glass plates 77, 78 engage 'oppositesides of the valve body 73 so that upon expansion and contraction of theglass plates 77, 78 the valve 76 is moved with respect to the seat 74.Differences in co-eflicient of expansion of the glass plates 77, 78 andthe central panel 76 cause the valve 76 to open when the water in theupper compartment 12 is cool and to close when the water in the uppercompartment is warm.

A tubular breather pipe B extends through the bottom wall panel 67adjacent the web 69 with its lower terminal end E substantially belowthe upper edge of the side wall 13, 14- and its upper terminal edge 81closely adjacent the top wall 51. As water passes out of the lowercompartments 11 through the spout 33 air from the compartment 11 ispermitted to flow upwardly through the breather pipe B so as to permitwater from the upper compartment 12 to flow into the lower compartment11 when the valve 76 is open. Since the breather pipe B has its lowerterminal end E well below the upper edge of the side walls 13, 14, thebreather pipe B will be sealed oil by the level of water in the lowercompartment 11 to stop additional flow before the water in thecompartment 11 would flow over the tops of the side walls 13, 14.

The upper compartment 12 is provided with a recess 82, corresponding tothe recess in the lower compartment 11, and has a horizontal U-shapedguide clip 83 positioned in the recess 82 to guide the upper end of thespout 33 as it is raised to its folded position.

The wall 56, arcuate panel 58 and partition 55, along with the frontwall 50 provides a trap through which water can be added to the uppercompartment 12 while maintaining the upper compartment 12 sealed againstthe admission of air thereto. With the upper compartment 12 sealed, allair to balance the flow from the upper compartment 12 must pass throughthe breather pipe B, as described above.

In the use and operation of the invention, the lower compartment 11 isfilled with water and placed on the refrigerator shelf. The uppercompartment 12 is then mounted on the lower compartment 11, in theposition illustrated in FIGURES l, 2 and 3, where it is filled withwater by opening the cover 60 and pouring the water therein. As thewater in the compartments 11, 12 is cooled and used by lowering thespout 33, the cool Water in the upper compartment 12 will pass throughthe valve seat 74- into the lower compartment 1 1 with the air from thelower compartment 11 passing upwardly through the breather pipe B. Asthe water is drained through the spout 33, additional warm water can beadded to the upper compartment 12 through the opening of the cover 60.The warm water passing into the upper compartment 12 will close thevalve 76 to retain the warm Water in the upper compartment until it iscooled. Obviously, as soon as the newly added water in the uppercompartment 12 has become cooled, the valve 76 will open to permit thewater from the upper compartment 12 to flow into the lower compartment11 as rapidly as it is dispensed through the spout 33. Vent holes 34 areformed in the wall 56 adjacent the bottom wall 70 to retain water in thetrap T as long as any water remains in the compartment 12.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the invention, itshould be understood that numerous structural modifications andadaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A water cooler reservoir comprising a lower sealed compartment and anupper superposed sealed compartment, said upper compartment supported bysaid lower compartment, temperature-expansible glass plates separatingsaid compartments, and a valve disposed between said plates wherein thechange of temperature in said glass plates operates said valve tocontrol the flow of water through said valve after the Water has cooledto a predetermined temperature in the upper compartment.

2. A water cooler reservoir comprising a lower substantially sealedcompartment and an upper substantially superposed sealed compartment,temperature-expansible glass plates separating said compartments a valvedisposed between said plates, a panel of less temperature expansionpositioned adjacent, below and substantially parallel to said glassplates to receive the seat of said valve, whereby the temperature changeand the difierence in coefiicients of expansion of said plate and saidpanel controls said valve.

3. A water cooler reservoir comprising a lower sealed compartment and anupper superposed sealed compartment, said upper compartment supported bysaid lower compartment, temperature-expansible glass plates separatingsaid compartments, a valve disposed between said plates wherein thechange of temperature in said glass plates controls the flow of waterthrough said valve from said upper compartments to said lowercompartment after the water has cooled to a predetermined temperature insaid upper compartment, a spout having a generally horizontal sectionjournalled in said lower compartment, a handle mounted on said spout,and a U-shaped guide having a resilient latch mounted on the exteriorwall of said lower compartment to receive and maintain said spout inupright position when not in use.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein a vertically positionedbreather pipe connects the upper portion of said lower compartment tothe upper portion of said upper compartment whereby the flow of waterfrom said lower compartment will cause a flow of water from said uppercompartment to said lower compartment with said flow valve in openposition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS215,771 Pierce May 27, 1879 473,325 Merrill Apr. 19, 1892 672,504Wolfensperger Apr. 23, 1901 1,826,791 Kellogg Oct. 13, 1931 2,698,022Fahnoe Dec. 28, 1954 2,786,606 Dushek et a1 Mar. 26, 1957 2,883,921Morrison Apr. 28, 1959

